How and why to clear your web browser cache or Temporary Internet Files folder

Often referred to as the cache, the Temporary Internet Files folder contains a kind of travel record of the items you have seen, heard, or downloadeded from the web. It includes images, audio files, web pages, and cookies.

Storing these files in your cache can make browsing the web faster because it takes your computer less time to display a web page when it can call up some of the page's elements or even the entire page from your Temporary Internet Files folder. The downside of this storage is that when new versions of a course topic are made available (perhaps due to a topic being expanded), the old version of the topic will still display in your browser as the file for it is not updated within your cache. It is a simple process to clear the cache in such cases; so how do you do so in your web browser?


First of all, close the page(s) of the website that you want to update. For example, keep only one browser window open and go to the browser homepage or www.yahoo.com perhaps. Follow the directions below depending on the browser that you use. Once you have completed the steps below, reopen your browser and navigate to the site and pages that you have refreshed.

Internet Explorer 8

1. Once the browser is open, click the Tools menu and select Internet Options.
2. Be sure the General tab is selected.
3. Under Browsing History, click Delete.
4. In the new window, be sure the Temporary Internet Files box is checked. You can uncheck everything else you don't want to delete.
5. Click Delete.

Internet Explorer 7

1. Once the browser is open, click the Tools menu and select Internet Options.
2. Make sure the General tab is selected.
3. Under Browsing History click Delete.
4. In the new window, click Delete Files in the Temporary Internet Files section. If you want, you can also opt to delete cookies and browsing history.
5. Alternatively, clear your cache for just the current page you're visiting. Press and hold the [Ctrl] key on your keyboard, then press the [F5] key, or click the Refresh button (square button on the toolbar with opposite-facing arrows).


Internet Explorer 6

1. Once the browser is open, click the Tools menu and select Internet Options.
2. Make sure the General tab is selected.
3. Click Delete Files in the Temporary Internet Files section and click OK.
4. If you want the browser to automatically clear the cache whenever you close it, click the Advanced tab. Click to check the box next to the "Empty Temporary Internet files folder when browser is closed" option (in the section labeled 'Security'). Click OK. This will delete everything except cookies.


Firefox 1.5 / 2.0 / 3.0 / 3.5

1. It is possible to simply go to Tools, and select Clear Private Data; or to just press the Ctrl+Shift+Delete keys simultaneously. Please note that these options clear what you have set the browser to clear in Tools > Options... > Privacy, which can mean the cache, although it may also include passwords, and search and browsing history, so be careful.
2. Go to Tools and select Options...
3. Go to the Privacy tab, and click Settings... (in the blue box in the image).
4. Select what you would like to have cleared.
5. Return to the Options menu. If you want your cache cleared automatically every time you close the browser, click the appropriate checkbox.
6. Press Clear Now under the Settings button.

Firefox 1.0

1. Click the Tools menu and select Options...
2. Click the Privacy button and select the Cache tab.
3. Click the Clear Cache Now button.